At a media briefing on Wednesday, senior provincial and national ANC leaders denied any move to lure De Lille to the official opposition in the City and province.

"The ANC does not entice. People join the African National Congress voluntarily because of its ideas and policies," ANC national executive committee member deployed to the province Zizi Kodwa said in response to questions.

"So we won't entice anyone, but of course she is her own [person]. She's got a right to join or make a choice politically, on the basis of the supremacy of the ANC's ideas and policies.

"She will make that decision voluntarily."

No meeting with Ramaphosa

Kodwa added that if De Lille thought she had a role to play in the ANC, "of course anyone is welcome to join the African National Congress".

The members were also asked about a recent media report alleging President Cyril Ramaphosa had met with De Lille following one of his public health "walkabouts" in Athlone earlier this year.

"No, no, the president immediately after the walk went to a Cabinet meeting. According to our knowledge, there was no such meeting," provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs answered.

ANC Western Cape elections head Ebrahim Rasool said the ANC wanted stability in the City.

"I do not want to allow an assumption to take place that what is happening is because of the result of the president meeting anyone. We are not in the business of enticing anyone to the ANC.

"Themayor [De Lille] has a job, and she must continue to do that job," Rasool said.

De Lille still fighting to clear her name

During the briefing the ANC said it still recognised De Lille as the mayor of Cape Town, and wanted her future to be decided through the council with a secret ballot vote, rather than DA processes.

The party will instruct its councillors in the City to reject any further uses of the DA's constitution to remove an elected mayor from office when they lobby for a council process on De Lille's future, Jacobs said.

De Lille herself told journalists on Tuesday that she was still involved in too many processes within and against the DA to think about her future just yet.

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